A sports star has won silver thanks to help from Sports Haslemere and the town council

Angelique Wallace was awarded a £500 bursary as part of Sport Haslemere’s ‘Create a Star' initiative, with the bursary funded by Haslemere Town Council’s grant scheme.

Angelique Wallace-Bourgoin, a weightlifter with Hampshire Weightlifting Club, hit the podium after winning silver at The English Age Group Weightlifting Championships in 2023. Angelique started her weightlifting journey in January 2022 when she and her mum joined a beginner's course. Her coach, Przemek Borrak told her: “If you train with me, by the end of the year you will be British champion.” – and she was.

Angelique won gold in 2022 and has since added bronze and silver medals to her impressive record.

“Winning the bursary felt amazing. I’m really proud that weightlifting has got some recognition within the community – it means a lot,” said Angelique. “Without the bursary I wouldn’t have been able to go on and win silver. It helped fund my journeys to competitions, my training and my recovery after I was injured.”

Chris Grimes, Chair of Sports Haslemere, said: “We are delighted to be able to support young athletes achieve their international potential and we are so pleased Angelique is continuing to make such great process.”

The ‘Create a Star’ initiative was launched 12 years ago and one of the first athletes it supported, Jodie Anna Burrage, is now number two in the British tennis rankings, and 85 in the world rankings.